A strong geomagnetic storm is hitting the Earth between this Friday and next Sunday and, because of it, the skies of Portugal were 'contemplated' with auroras, a phenomenon associated with a solar storm of rare intensity that is affecting the Earth.

The alert for the rare solar storm was given by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States of America (NOAA), which pointed out that the phenomenon could give rise to complications in communication systems and in the electricity supply network.

Although, up to now, there is no official confirmation of the appearance of the auroras in Portugal, the fact is that photographs of Internet users who glimpsed them this Friday night are accumulating on social networks.

Among the various locations where photographic records emerged are Chaves and Vila Pouca de Aguiar, in the district of Vila Real, Bragança, Viseu, Seia and Celorico da Beira (Guarda), Condeixa (Coimbra) or Portalegre.

"We were already waiting for this night with anticipation, as the North American agencies had already warned that the solar storm that was going to hit us would be one of the biggest since records began. There was in fact the possibility of the aurora being recorded in unusual places", highlighted Márcio Santos, creator of the page "Meteo Trás-os-Montes", emphasizing that the "fabulous records" far exceeded "expectations".

Márcio Santos also pointed out to the Lusa agency that the last great aurora in Portugal was on January 25, 1938, and that "there are only reports".

"Illustrated in this way it is unprecedented", stressed this meteorology enthusiast.

The phenomenon rarely visible in the skies of Portugal is due to a solar storm of rare intensity that began to affect the Earth this Friday.

This type of storm particularly affects the northern and southern latitudes, around the poles, explained Mathew Owens, professor of space physics at the University of Reading, to the France-Presse (AFP) agency this Friday.

And "the stronger the storm, the lower it goes in terms of latitude", he explained.

The event is therefore generating the 'famous' aurora borealis in the Northern Hemisphere, including in regions where they are not usual.

In addition to Portugal, other European countries such as Spain, France, the United Kingdom, Romania or Ukraine are also recording these phenomena.

In the United States, the aurora borealis was expected in most of the northern half of the country, and perhaps as low as Alabama or northern California, according to the US agency for Oceans and the Atmosphere (NOAA).

"If you're in a dark place with no clouds and little light pollution, you might see some pretty impressive auroras," said Rob Steenburgh, a scientist at the US Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC).

This solar storm can also cause disruptions to electrical and communications networks, US authorities have warned.

The SWPC issued a level 4 geomagnetic storm warning, on a scale of 5.

"A series of coronal mass ejections, which are explosions of energetic particles and magnetic fields from the Sun, are directed towards the Earth", explained Shawn Dahl, a scientist at this center associated with NOAA.

See the images:

[News updated at 06:37]

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